March 7, 2009

They often say that numbers dont tell the whole story of the man behind those numbers . They often say that a great cricketer is defined by the way he plays, the charm he had, the aura he created and the stunning faces he left behind after people had witnessed him play . Often, you need to go explaining why someone is great as there are always people who will tend to disagree about the subject’s greatness. That is the beauty of sports . Everyone has their own favorites, their own greats.

But to rise above it all , to be acknowledged as the greatest without any debate , to be so great that even numbers do justice to his art , that is the hallmark of this little 5’8″ gentleman who walked this planet and left behind a legacy, a history, a name, a memory which will never be erased by anyone who ever plays this game for the next hundred thousand years .

Sir Don stands tallest among them all without any debate !

Sir Garfield Sobers came, Sir Viv Richards destroyed and Sachin Tendulkar charmed but no one even came close to being the Don . No one can even think of getting close to the Don . You will always be second best in this game no matter how good you are .

Sir Don was not just a ruthless machine . Sir Don was not just the greatest batsman . Sir Don was the greatest Australian who ever lived . Sir Don was the reason England and Australia rejoiced during times of war and depression . Sir Don was the reason cricket became ugly as Douglas Jardine masterminded a war in a gentleman’s game .

And Sir Don is the reason why the game is still above the people who played it or still play it . His most famous duck proved he wasnt god . His most famous duck proved he was still mortal .

Sir Don was 99.94% perfect . And I think the world likes it that way .